Maintainers Chat: June 23 - 29

[Meg]

Good morning! (yawn) Looks like it's the last week of June, so now we're doing the big countdown for LisaMarie! If you're reading, Lisa, how many weeks do you have left?

And we're sending : out to Anne and hoping life with Nicholas is going smoothly!

Welcome home, Shane, we missed you!! Wow, you're a personal trainer now! Are you working at a gym and/or do you have any clients? I have to take a bunch of continuing ed courses to renew my certification and am looking at a series of weight management courses since that's what I'm really interested in. One is cardio for weight management because I'm curious about new research and another is about nutrition.

Lily, how's Lacy? And how are you doing? Recovered from the roofing yet?

I had a miserable day all round yesterday and especially food-wise, due to not being able to sleep for two nights. Being tired is BY FAR my biggest trigger for overeating! I did a little better sleeping last night and have the day planned out in Fitday so hopefully it will go better. The gym opens in an hour and I'll be there for cardio and a shoulder workout. I haven't done military presses with a BB since my shoulder surgery two years ago but was reading about what a great exercise they are so am thinking of trying again this morning. If I don't come back, you'll find me lying under the bar.

So what's going on with everyone this morning! Is it HOT where you are?

[DGAdDawg]

Hi!

Yes, it is HOT here in Memphis....we had a string of very pleasant days last week, with highs around 85. Now we're back to low 90s. Blargh.

Weekend was not great food or exercise wise! But it is Monday and my motivation is renewed.

In 10 days, I'll be on a plane back home to Georgia to spend th 4th and my birthday at home with my family and friends there. I saw my family last weekend, but I haven't seen my best friend or my dog since March! I'm super excited. My cousin is flying back here on Saturday to visit some guy she's met(talk about a "long distance" fling!) and managed to get on my flight back the ATL Wednesday. Now we just need to use our charm to get seats together

My Dawgs are playing for the college world championship. Yay!!

Have a great day everyone!

[NightengaleShane]

Good morning all!
I had a great eating day yesterday and plan to have another one today. I've been falling off plan quite a bit in the last few weeks (it's easy to do when you're sitting on your arse for a good portion of the day!)

Meg, I definitely have to agree that being sleep deprived causes us all to overeat. I find that there just aren't enough hours in the day - if I fall asleep at what is known as a decent hour, my entire day is shot between work and everything else!

Right now, I freelance at the YMCA and I have two clients that I met on my own. I'm planning to advertise more once I have a little more experience (so I can have good references and testimonials). I also want to get some promotional pictures done... and the girlfriend bought me a free week of tanning so that my body can look more flawless for these pictures (my idea, not hers - my loose skin temporarily disappears with a good tan).

What are you currently certified in, Meg?


DGAdDawg - trips back to see family and old friends are the best! I went up to the DC area (where I grew up) for my younger sister's high school graduation a couple weeks ago and had an amazing time catching up with family and old friends. I wish I was there longer and now I feel excessively nostalgic to the point of where I'm planning my next trip

[Meg]

Dawg, that's so great that you'll be able to spend your birthday with your family! And I have to agree that Mondays are great for fresh starts.

Shane, I'm certified by NASM. How about you? Way cool on having clients already. You are going to be a fantastic trainer!!

[paperclippy]

Meg - I hope you get some sleep!

DGA - That's great that you get to spend your birthday back home!

Shane - Welcome back! We missed you! Congrats on being a personal trainer, that sounds like a great way to stay active.

Sunday I decided to take the dog for a run with my bike. I started out with him on the 20-foot retractable leash, thinking that then if he decided to run off I'd be able to stop the bike and get off of it before he yanked me off. Of course, he nearly yanked me off three times, and yelling at him didn't seem to do any good. Eventually I unhooked his leash and let him run unleashed next to me, since we were just going around our subdivision (and it was 8am on Sunday, so essentially no people or cars). He was really good almost the whole time -- until he saw a bunny! He ran off after this bunny and chased it into the woods, then decided to go for a swim in the retention pond. It was cute, but annoying! I hope I didn't wake anyone up yelling at him to come back when he ran through somebody's backyard!

I am feeling kind of sleepy and achey today. I stopped taking the NSAID I've been on for a year, and so far my wrists don't seem to be any worse for it. My knees on the other hand have been really bad since Friday. I don't think it's because of the NSAID though, I think my PT doesn't really "get" what is going on with my tendons. He is fresh out of school (been working for one month) and is always in a hurry to catch up on paperwork and stuff so doesn't actually get much done with me, but he pushes me to do really hard exercises and I think my tendons just can't handle that yet. I took it easy over the weekend but he is going to be getting an earful at my appointment tonight!

[NightengaleShane]

Oh oh, I forgot to mention!! I bought a two-person bike the other day, fixed my first BMX bike, and obtained another BMX bike from a friend (so now, BMX-less people have no excuses not to ride with me ). My next door neighbor's 14 year old son is getting really into BMX biking and I've been showing him some tricks lately.


Meg - I am certified by the American Council on Fitness Education/American Council on Exercise. One of the two clients I've obtained is actually someone in my apartment complex who I met at the community fitness center. She is very overweight but very strong (almost as strong as me and I've been at this awhile! ) and I've now taught her not to be afraid of fitness equipment

Jessica - personal training really IS a great way to stay active because keeping other people's butts in line helps me to stay motivated since I don't want to be hypocrite That's awesome that you went bike riding with your dog. How do you feel about your PT catching up on paperwork while pushing you to do hard exercises? I'd be a bit annoyed personally, as I'd want to make sure I was getting my money's worth and I'd feel it was somewhat impersonal of him to do that... but if he is helping you, then I guess things like that can be overlooked.

[traveling michele]

Paperclippy-- LOL on your doggie story! I'm always amazed at the well behaved dogs running next to people or their bikes. My (2 huge) dogs would run off and do god knows what.

Shane-- congrats on becoming a personal trainer. That is truly exciting. Your tummy looks a lot like mine (mine is a little more saggy as I'm older). I'd love to hear what you are doing to firm things up. I'm just doing crunches/ sit ups (along with all my cardio of course).

DGA-- that is exciting that you'll be home for your b-day. I'll be home for the 4th as well. I leave for Houston on Sunday with my younger dd. I'm looking forward to it and to the reactions of friends/family who haven't seen me nearly this light.

I'm quite excited about my weekend. My dh went out of the country and I was feeling quite bummed Saturday. I forced myself to go to the gym and felt much better afterwards. I took my girls out for sushi and for frozen yogurt (the yogurt was not OP as we had BAD toppings!). Sunday, we had a good amount of BAD foods..... We went to San Francisco and walked probably 4 miles. I was worried about my food choices though, so I still went to the gym when I got back and did cardio and lifted. This morning, the scale was DOWN slightly. So, I guess the moral to myself is if I eat off plan, I need to UP my exercise! I'm off to the gym again this morning to kick off my week. I have three bikinis to wear in Houston-- don't know if I'll get brave enough to wear them but I want to be ready!!

[Megan1982]

Hi everyone,

I had a good weekend that involved a lot of kayaking on Saturday with a big group of friends and doing a lot of chores on Sunday. I needed to find something to do because (gasp) the cable is out! I had a really great NRLW Friday too - one of those days I didn't want to go to the gym, but felt so great after I was done. Other than that BF and I hung out, relaxed, cooked dinners. It's been raining and storming here which is actually a welcome relief as the rain's made it much cooler and it's been a dry spring. However the thunder and strobe effects of the lightning were not as welcome from 5-6 AM this morning . My energy level is still dragging and I'm not sure why since I've been getting plenty of sleep, eating well, working out, etc...

Michele, you are going to look HOT in those bikinis! You should definitely wear them.

Shane, congrats on becoming a personal trainer. Motivating others seems like something you would be (are) great at.

Jessica, are you going to different PT for your knees and wrists? B/c you said that you were making progress with your wrists, right? You should definitely give this guy a talking to - you don't want to do any more damage! If he doesn't listen to you, switch PTs!

DGAdDawg, enjoy all the family time. Sounds like exciting travel plans.

Meg, sorry to hear you've been having such trouble sleeping. I know how hard that can make it to function and eat well. I hope today is a better day. How did the military presses go?

[alinnell]

Is it hot? Friday it was 122, Saturday 118, Sunday 116. Today it is supposed to be a cool 110 and possibly only be 107 tomorrow. I'll let you all decide if that is hot or not!

Jessica~how I wish I could walk my dogs off leash! Neither of mine obey that well, although the older one has the excuse of near deafness. The younger one will chase rabbits, but only so far as the edge of the lawn. He knows he can't catch them, so he stops at the street. Roadrunners? That's another story. He really hates birds and will chase them farther.

This weekend the family got new clothes. DS got a new suit with 2 pairs of pants, 3 dress shirts, 3 ties and a belt and a new pair of dress shoes. Yeah, he'll wear it all for a week while on our cruise, and then he'll out grow it all. Thankfully Sears is pretty inexpensive for young boys. I spent $148 on all the clothes. The shoes were the pricey part--$85. JC Penney didn't have any in his size, Sears had nothing dressy, so Macy's got our business. Later, I took DH back to Macy's and he got a new suit (his old one no longer fits. Did I mention he needs to lose 15-20 pounds?). DD did her shopping alone and got a new dress and tons of cute bras and undies. I think she's really appreciating the fact that we gave her an American Express. Me? I'm starting to think it wasn't such a good idea! Seriously, she really doesn't buy much! As for myself, I'll do a clothing inventory this week and then see what I need to buy and go out next weekend. I'm sure all I need is a new top or two. I imagine I'll wear the same skirt twice and then stick with black pants for the other days. Perhaps I break down and get a new dress. Who knows.

[traveling michele]

What cruise are you going on Allison?
I love cruising!
I could do it every day of the week!! How fun!

[lilybelle]

Hi everyone, it seems like forever since I've been on 3FC's. My computer modem went out and we had to go get a new one. I was away at my nieces wedding this past weekend. It was nice but the food definitely wasn't OP and I ate way too much. I'm glad that Monday's are a great time for a fresh start cause that is exactly what I'm doing today. I also babysat my grandson's on Saturday night and all day Sunday. One good thing was I bought them a blow up pool with water slide. I couldnt' believe I had enough air to blow it all up. But, I did. I guess 7 weeks smoke-free is really making a difference for me.

My gym workouts have been hit and miss. My goal this week is 3 good workouts.

Jessica, my dogs are the same. They love to chase rabbits. I can only walk them on a leash.

meg, Lacy is doing OK. She is preparing herself mentally for the upcoming surgeries. She wanted a summer job, but I don't think it's feasible with surgeries this summer. She is doing a little babysitting though. Oh and I'm still not completely recovered from the roofing. My hip joints hurt and I'm still walking a little funky.

No news from my son Shane lately. I pray that he is doing OK.

NightengaleShane, big congrat's on getting your personal trainer certification and great to see you posting again.

Megan, we've had a lot of trouble lately with our satellite. So, I feel your pain on no TV. We finally got the satellite people out here , but still no local channels.

Allison, it sounds like your family raked up some nice new clothes. Wow, I just thought it was hot here. (90's most days). The humidity here is yucky!

Michele, wow bikinis. My bikini days are long since over.

meg, I do much worse food-wise when I'm tired. I'm back to writing down every bite to help keep myself in line. It sure seems that when I do get off-plan that I have a hard time making myself get accountable again.

[WaterRat]

Allison, is this your Alaska cruise? Hope you're prepared - we've not hit 70's yet this summer! Well, on the coast. Fairbanks was 85 over the weekend. We had rain all weekend, and I swear I could see my grass growing. TOday is blue skies and though, but not warm yet (50's when I came to work, and it's only 9:10 now)

Lily - Good to see you back. Stay off those roofs, okay? Hope you hear from Shane soon.

Shane - good to see you too. And wtg on the PT certification! Definitely a good way to keep your own motivation up.

Not much exciting going on here. Work is busy as usual. DH is trying to decide whether to go fishing again. We are taking a weekend trip the week after July 4 and I'm trying to work out the logistics of that. This working stuff so gets in the way.

[NightengaleShane]

Michele - rock those bikinis! If your tummy looks like mine, then it's safe to say you have a 4 pack even *IF* you have saggy skin. Just think... there will be PLENTY of people who will look WAYYYY worse than you and they will still be showing all the skin in the world! What I do to firm things up:
60-90 minutes of cardio pretty much every day, light strength training (free weights/dumbells, push ups, chin ups) 15-30 minutes every day, heavier strength training 3-4x a week/every other day rotating muscle groups (making sure there is a little time for recovery), and then I spend 5-10 minutes on my abs every morning doing obliques, scissor leg lifts, crunches, bicycling lying down, and reverse crunches (where you lie down and lift your hips/butt up). I also do pilates sometimes. I think cleaning up my diet may also help with making my abdominal ridges as prominent as possible; I want to make sure there is NO layer of fat left even if I do have some skin left over - there is a tiny bit right now but only around my belly button... I have had people poke my stomach and say it is hard as a rock. What do YOU do? Anything super mega awesome that I should know about?
And okay, I think I just fainted reading my routine... it does not feel like I try that hard to look the way I do, but when I read all that, I think... "wow..."

Megan - sounds like it is time for an energy drink I recommend Zero Carb Rock Star in the blue can And BTW, you are also very motivational and supportive... thought you should know...

Allison - 122? Geesh. That's even more unbearable than the typical Florida heat. It's been in the 90's and low 100's with high humidity here, so whenever I walk outside, I feel overexerted even though I haven't exercised. It makes most people either sleepy or nausious, so they tend to stay inside blasting their A/C and payinhg $200-$300 electric bills...

[alinnell]

At least our heat is dry. We do get some days later in August where we'll have a bit of humidity, but for now the humidity is staying very low (around 10% or less) which makes the heat much more bearable. Oh, and Shane...$200 or $300 for electricity is what I pay in the WINTER! Summers are more than twice that! Thankfully due to low humidity, we can get away using our swamp cooler rather than central AC.

The cruise is to Alaska, but we don't leave until July 24th. Pat--please ask them to put the temperatures around 70 for us then!!! We'll be prepared for cooler weather (although I don't think DD really understands yet). I keep saying she'll need nylons to wear with her dresses and all I get are eye rolls! We'll be wearing jeans most of the days and we'll have sweatshirts or light jackets along. My last Alaska cruise (about 30 years ago!) was wonderful and the only cold day was when we sat outside to watch the glacier. The other day it was cool was in Sitka--it rained that day. All the other days were wonderful with just short sleeves. Of course, I was more acclimated to cool weather then because I lived in Utah.

[WaterRat]

Ah, Allison, I'll be in SE Alaska the week before that, so I'll speak to them. It may sound funny, but 3 GFs and I are taking an Alaska cruise next year. We'll fly to/from Seattle, then cruise a week in our home state! But it's a different part of the state, and actually a long way from us. What cuise line are you on? We'll be on Holland America....